Cosmic
by SerenityWritesSlash
Summary: AU. Yugi is a navigator, and Atem is his pilot. Things get a tad more complicated. Takes place in the future, aliens v.s humans kind of. Mostly just a fluffy twoshot. Puzzleshipping and slight Puppyshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**_A.N: A twoshot story. Came to me on a whim._**

**_Hope you enjoy the puzzleshipping fluff- in space!_**

* * *

"All navigators from port C, please report to gate twelve for your new assigned aviator."

Yugi glanced up from his console, letting out a small sigh. He was going to be assigned a pilot, today. There wasn't much he could say about it, but he was nervous. He stood up, as did every other navigator in the port. A few desks away from him, Yugi saw the blonde hair that belonged to none other than Joey Wheeler. Quickly, he swerved through the crowd of officers to reach his friend.

"Excited?" Yugi asked, adjusting the collar of the grey, slick, fake-leather body suit that was his required uniform. Sometimes he hated that thing.

"Are ya kidding me?" Joey mumbled, Brooklyn accent in tact. "I'm freaking out, Yug! What if I get stuck with one of the really crappy pilots?"

"You're overeacting," Yugi told him, as they shuffled out into the crowd. "I'm sure we'll be fine. So long as we aren't paired up with assholes, I mean."

"Ya just jinxed it." Joey whined, almost bumping into another navigator. It happened to be Tristan, who glanced down at them with his usual dopey expression. It was often that people were surprised of his brilliant navigation skills, seeing as he wasn't the brightest of men.

"Hey, you two." Tristan said, smiling at them. "Who do you think we'll end up with?"

"Who's to say?" Yugi sighed, "It's completely out of our hands."

When they reached the gate, everyone was jittering and anxious. Yugi was starting to feel a tad uneasy, himself. Most of the pilots were jerks- they were brilliant, but they were also rude as fuck. He ran his fingers through his naturally blonde bangs, then scaling upwards to the dark red and black mess that was the rest of his hair. Most people assumed the short navigator had dyed it, when it truth, it had been abnormal since birth.

The navigators filed in the door, instantly growing quiet upon the sight of the other people who stood about the gate. Aviators. Unlike the boring grey that had been slapped onto the navigators, pilots were fortunate enough to get navy blue uniforms. Yugi found himself unnerved at the sight of the lot; they were all so tall. He would look like an accessory.

One of the lieutenants spoke up, "Okay, I want absolutely no complaints directed after you've been partnered? Got it? You will adress me as lieutenant Valentine if you wish to ask any further questions."

Yugi listened to the woman as she listed off names in alphabetical order, knowing he'd have a while yet before he was called. He did recognise a few names, such as 'Bakura, Ryou'. Yugi watched empathetically as the albino all but sulked toward the pilot he was given- a man who looked like his hair was trying to become a starfish.

Finally, after about a third of an hour, Yugi's name sounded. "Muto, Yugi. Yami, Atem."

He stepped forward, his blood freezing. Who was he? Where was he? And then a pilot emerged from the crowd, his sharp, crimson eyes the first thing Yugi could notice.

"Nice to meet you," Yugi squeaked, as the man approached him. Taller, but not by much. His skin was tanned, but only slightly. Like Yugi, he had blonde bangs, but they stuck up like lightning strikes across the mess of black and red hair that was on his skull. They could've been twins if not for a few minor differences.

"The pleasure is all yours," the pilot said, grinning. Oh no. He was arrogant. They walked toward the man who would assign them their quarters in silence, Yugi throwing a quick glance back at Joey. The blonde gave him a weak thumbs up, before returning his attention to the lieutenant. "Hey, don't space out on me." 'Atem' said, pulling Yugi out of his distraction.

"Uh- what?" Yugi said, blinking. "I'd be focused on the mission if we were flying..."

"I was making a joke," Atem chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, are they all this high strung in navigation?"

"No!" Yugi defended, feeling himself grow angry. "We just...take our jobs seriously."

"Right." Atem said, lip twitching. Yugi furrowed his brows and frowned, avoiding that little lip twitch with all his might.

"Attention, duelists." an officer with a tablet stopped them. "Here is the layout for your quarters. You will be assigned to room two-twenty-six, on level nine."

Yugi looked it over. They had linked rooms; meaning a sliding door was keeping them separate. That was convenient- Yugi would feel much more comfortable in his own room. They would share a bathroom, however. After memorising the coordinates, he was ready to set out. Atem was right on his heels, much too close for Yugi's comfort. As they boarded the lift, he noticed Joey standing in front of a tall, slim, brunet pilot. The doors closed, and Yugi wished his friend a silent 'good luck'.

"So, let's make things simple," Atem said, leisurely propping his elbow on one of the walls. "You do whatever I say, I follow your directions. Got it?"

Eyes widening, Yugi bit back a growl. "No."

"Oh, thank god!" Atem said, breaking into a fit of laughter. Yugi didn't understand why he was laughing, and raised an eyebrow. "Had you agreed, I would've critised you." Atem laughed, taking a step toward Yugi. "I think you have fine potential as a partner, shortstack."

"My name is Yugi," the navigator all but seethed, crossing his arms. "You will not make fun of my height so long as we're working together."

"Sure," Atem said, dismissively waving his hand. "And you can call me the pharoah."

"What the fuck?" Yugi started to ask, but the doors swished open, announcing their arrival on the ninth floor. The pair walked in silence, Yugi counting down the doors as Atem seemed to wander off in his thoughts. Did he seriously have to work with this pilot during the mission? Yugi let himself lose count and began to wonder how his friends were doing. He'd have to ask them tomorrow.

Without warning, a hand latched around his arm. Yugi instantly flinched, ready to attack. Atem looked at him and snorted, it turned out he was the one holding Yugi's arm. "This is our room." Atem smirked, letting go. Yugi bristled, feeling himself go red in the face. After typing in their access code, Atem bowed before Yugi. "Your palace, your highness."

"I thought you were the pharoah," Yugi scoffed, stepping inside.

"I am," Atem grinned, "And I just made you admit it."

_Well, shit._

...

The next morning, Yugi was almost erupting with questions to ask. The moment Joey walked into the port, he almost ran right at him. "Good morning to you, too." Joey huffed, looking exhausted. Yugi frowned.

"Oh no," he mumbled, "Please tell me you weren't stuck with a total jerk."

Joey's face went red at the last word, his gaze heading for the floor. Yugi didn't have time to ask why, when Tristan came in looking slightly more happy than usual. "Hello! It's a wonderful morning, isn't it?" Tristan all but sang as he apprached them.

Joey broke into a grin, "Nyeh, you certainly look happy."

Tristan faltered a little bit, cheeks going pink. "Me? What? No."

"You like your pilot," Yugi noted, feeling his michievious grin work itself onto his face.

"Well, he's kind of a whiney bitch." Tristan laughed, shrugging. "But he's okay."

"You're in love! YES. Now you can stop pining over my sister!" Joey let out a triumphant snort, putting his hands on his hips. A couple years ago, Joey's younger sister had gone blind in a shuttle crash. Tristan had looked after her for months, and grew oddly attatched to her. Unfortunately, she was already in love with someone else, and rejected him completely.

"I'm not in love with-" Tristan started to defend, when Ishizu walked into the port. Everyone rushed for their desks, flicking on their consoles to make it look like they'd been working. The lieutenant glared at them, crossing her arms and standing at the front of the room.

"Look, I know you're all excited and-or upset with the current mission." Ishizu said, loudly enough that it silenced the entire port. "But we have our work to do, the war is coming to a close so we best be prepared for any final attacks."

The war. At those words, the navigators instantly booted up their assignments. Since an alien race had attacked Earth back in the year 3102, the operation known as 'Duel Monsters' began. It was now 3170, and the intergallatic war was finally slowing down, the humans on the winning side. Yugi had joined the fleet when he was sixteen, a child prodigy who had aced all of the simulations. He was now twenty-four, and had spent the majority of his adulthood on the station. Yugi had been on the field twice in his life, both times being a success.

And now, the last of the battles were beginning, leaving a bunch of tactics and technical work for the navigators to clean up. That was what they did in port C; clean up.

As he typed away, Yugi wondered what Atem was up to in port B. Probably getting into an argument with somebody. Pilots tended to do that. At the desk beside him, Ryou was solving an equation at light speed, catching Yugi's attention. "Hey," Yugi said, a weak attempt at small talk. "How's your pilot?"

"Hm?" Ryou glanced up from the projected screen, his burgandy eyes seemed to be staring into Yugi's soul. "My pilot is a blundering git who won't stop demanding hugs."

"Oh," Yugi said, dumbfounded. He'd never heard Ryou talk with so much emotion in his voice. It had always been curt, monotone replies from the Brit. "Is he really that bad?"

"Well, he was kind enough to let me scold him. He hasn't tried to kill me, yet, and I've heard he's the most violent the fleet has." Ryou shrugged, still typing even though he was looking at Yugi. "I feel like a lion tamer."

"My pilot thinks he's a pharoah from ancient Egypt," Yugi said, smiling.

"It isn't a bloody contest." Ryou grumbled, going back to his work. Yugi chuckled and turned his attention back to his own console.

When lunch break came, Joey and Yugi went straight for their regular seats in the cafeteria. The navigators, the racers and the technicians shared lunch breaks, which was hardly easy. The station's cafeteria was large enough to house almost eight hundred people, but it was still hectic. There were two people sitting at Yugi's usual table; a tanned young technician with blond hair and violet eyes, and a racer who looked like a slightly older, less innocent version of Ryou. Joey ignored them and sat down, Yugi following suit.

"I'm guessing this is your table?" the albino huffed, revealing he had a British accent as well.

"Yup," Joey replied, getting ready to dig into his meat.

"Do you mind us?" the technician asked, fidgeting in his dark purple uniform.

"Not at all," Yugi smiled, "I'm Yugi, that's Joey. What's your name?"

"Marik," the technician said, proudly. "And you can call him Bakura." Oh, so he _was_ related to Ryou. Yugi figured just as much.

"You two partners?" Joey asked, taking a large mouthful of his meal.

Unlike navigators and aviators, racers and technicians were assigned to inside jobs. That was why there were so few aboard the station, half of them were sent out into enemy lines. Marik gave a loose nod, "Yeah, we were just assigned last week."

"It's been hell," Bakura grunted, taking a mouthful of soup.

"Shut up, fluffy." Marik said, rolling his eyes. "He's a lot friendlier if you get to know him."

Yugi wasn't so convinced, but gave a short nod of agreement. "We were just assigned pilots yesterday. It's interesting having a partner."

"Oh, that's right." Bakura muttered, "You must've gotten stuck with Atem."

"How'd you guess?" Yugi blinked, eyes going wide.

"I'm psycic, you dumbass." Bakura drawled, sarcasm dripping with his every word. "You look just like the guy. Except you're shorter."

"Ooh, I wouldn't go thee I were you." Joey said, looking up from his food.

Yugi ignored the insult and sighed, "It's fine. I'm used to it."

"Ya almost broke my kneecaps when I joked about it!" Joey exclaimed, just a bit too loudly.

Marik and Bakura exchanged a look of surprise mixed with fear. Before Yugi could protest, a familar siren went off. Red alert. Joey stood, gesturing for Yugi to follow him. Red alert meant navigators and aviators were to report to the ships.

When they reached the dock, Atem was already there, waiting for Yugi. Next to him was the brunet that Yugi assumed was Joey's pilot, a poker face in tact. "Alright, mutt, let's get going." Joey frowned as the pilot addressed him, biting back a retort. Yugi watched them go, but quickly snapped his attention back to Atem.

"We're getting on that one," Atem nodded at a fighter ship that looked to be in good condition. "That's Slifer- she's mine."

"Right," Yugi mumbled, following the pilot to the fighter. By the time they'd climbed into the cockpit, a loud speaker was announcing their instructions.

"Enemy vessles are carrying weapons, you must destroy and return to base."

Yugi felt himself grow nervous, readying his navigation board. From here, he'd be able to warn Atem where to aim. The ship jolted, and then they were flying off into the open space. Swallowing, Yugi prepared himself for what was coming. He was going to treat this like a simulation, one that he couldn't fail. Enemy ships came into view on the navi-board, "Atem, fire at five kilometers southeast."

"Got it," Yami said, and the missles shot off. The vessle exploded, making room for another one to charge right at them.

"Shields up!" Yugi called, flicking them on. "Aim directly eight-point-seven kilometers southeast. Now!"

The enemy vessle fired, missing them by inches. Atem fired, and the attacker erupted into an explosion. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Atem cried, swerving the ship around.

"Fire northwest!"

Explosion.

"You're covered on the left, so fire right!"

Double explosion.

Soon, there was only one ship left. Atem didn't even need Yugi's order, he fired with ease. "Oh my god, we were on fire!" Atem cried, turning over in his seat to look at Yugi.

Hands clapsed on his heart, Yugi took three deep breaths before meeting Atem's gaze. "We did it!" he exclaimed, "You were so fast! It's like you knew what I was thinking!"

Atem let out a soft, earnest smile. Yugi gulped, seeing as he'd only ever seen the pilot look like a smug bastard. "We make a good team, Yugi."

"Yeah," Yugi blushed, looking at the ground. Atem went back to flying, bringing them back to the dock. The moment the cockpit opened, Yugi heard applause.

"That was brilliant, team!" Lieutenant Valentine said, "You two wiped out more than ten enemy ships, today."

Atem smile turned back to smug, he jumped out of the cockpit and gave a salute. "Don't thank us, ma'am, it's all in a day's work. Right, Yugi?"

Yugi climbed out of the pit, nodding. "Uh-huh."

The lieutenant rolled her eyes, "Well, your 'day's work' just earned you priveledges to use the rec room, and Yugi here gets to use the coffee machine upstairs."

"Sweet!" Yugi and Atem said in unison, sharing a stupified look afterwards.

"Keep up the good work," Valentine chuckled, turning on her heel and leaving.

As a group of pilots swarmed Atem to congratulate him, Yugi made his way for the other navigators, who were regarding him with envy. Joey and his pilot were still talking, and Yugi couldn't help but listen in.

"Why're ya blaming me for the fact they killed enemy ships?"

"Because, mutt, you could've gotten that free coffee just as easily if you had asserted yourself."

"Nyeh, for the last time- I ain't no ones mutt! Now why don'tcha go fuck yourself?"

"You better make sure we do better, next time."

Yugi watched the pilot walk away, shocked at how he hadn't slapped Joey or anything. Most aviators were agressive when it came to insults, and yet there Joey was, standing up to a man twice Yugi's height and getting away with it. Unbelievable.

"Hey, Yug." Joey mumbled, slumping as he walked over. "Kaiba is a real pain in the ass. Ya did well out there, by the way."

"That's your pilot's name? Kaiba?" Yugi watched the tall man disapear into the crowd of aviators. "He's freaking terrifying! How are you still alive?"

"He ain't scary, he's just a wimp." Joey scoffed, "He's such a rude little prick. The fucker had the nerve ta push me outta the shower this mornin' so he could get a longer one!"

"Ew, I didn't need that mental image!" Yugi groaned, trying to shake the thought out of his head and as far away as possible.

"Sorry," Joey laughed, ruffling Yugi's hair. "Nyeh, you're pretty lucky. Getting coffee priveledges like that."

"No, I am not sharing." Yugi warned him, batting Joey's hand away. "Now, come on, we should get back to port."

As they started to leave, Yugi couldn't help but glance back at where Atem had been standing. He was surprised when the pilot looked up at him, locking their gazes. For a small eternity, that was all Yugi saw. Atem. Standing there and looking at him. When he looked away, Yugi realised he'd been blushing. Well, that was weird.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A.N: Okey dokey, here's the last bit. It gets fluffier._**

* * *

Three weeks after the new assignment, Yugi finally grew used to his new living arrangements. Atem was a kind hearted person, it turned out they had more in common than physical appearance. For instance, they both liked playing cards. The real kind of cards, not anything on a digital tablet. When Yugi had a tiresome day, Atem came knocking on his door and demanding re-matches. It was quite fun.

Of course, Yugi wasn't the only one having to adjust to the partnership. He knew Joey was having some kind of problem with his pilot, but it was never clarified specifically what the problem was. Tristan was more than pleased with his pilot, who seemed to return his affection, from what Yugi had seen. The pair that really caught his attention was Ryou and Melvin. Ryou was timid, even-tempered, and slightly effeminate. Whereas Melvin looked like he'd joined the fleet as an excuse to murder something. And yet, Ryou was unharmed, untouched, and if anything, he looked healthier since he started living with the pilot.

It was strange, because Melvin punched someone in the face at least every hour.

One morning, Yugi was woken by a comm signal. He was apparently supposed to help a few technichians and racers get out into space, that day. Sighing, he went for the bathroom to wash up, not bothering to put his uniform on. He was going in the shower, after all.

Atem was in there, brushing his teeth and trying to comb his hair into a slightly more managable position, with no avail to the latter. When he saw Yugi, he gave a grunt of acknowledgement. Yugi wasn't bothered too much by the fact the two of them were only in their underwear, and stepped into the shower. When he slipped the boxers off, he slid them through a crack in the door so Atem wouldn't see.

"Oh, relax." Atem chuckled, "I've got my back turned, anyway."

Yugi ignored him and started the shower, flinching as cold water poured down on him. The problem with living on the station was that heat was a rarity; they were in space. Yugi finished in the shower quickly, stepping out and reaching for the nereast towel. To his utter shock, Atem was still standing there, holding the towel out for him with a lopsided smirk. "You were fast. I didn't have to wait very long." Atem stepped forward, Yugi instantly stepping back.

"Why are you...?" he started, then realised. "Oh, you were waiting for the shower?"

Atem smiled down at him, more innocently than the smirk he had before. "Yeah."

Yugi grabbed the towel, covering himself as fast as he could. In his surprise, he had forgotten he was completely naked. "Uh, there you go." Yugi stepped aside, Atem passing right by him. Their bare skin touched, and for a moment, Yugi felt his heart stop. He recovered immediately, shaking his head and going for his room. After he changed, Yugi set out towards the technician bay.

The starbase wasn't the biggest, but with his height, Yugi felt very small when he traveled around it. Since he'd only been in the upper levels of the station for quite a few years, Yugi was only vaguely familiar with which direction he should go to get to the bay. Eventually, he found the doors and walked in, praying he still didn't look lost.

"Ah! Mr. Muto," a tall lieutenant called him over. He had dark skin, and a tattoo on the side of his face, intimidating Yugi even more with his baritone voice. "Come over here, we'll need you to help with these two." He jabbed a thumb towards a shuttle.

Yugi followed the lieutenant's point, and surprisingly, he recognised the technician and racer. "Bakura? Marik?" Yugi walked over, feeling a little more confident now that he knew these people.

"Oh, it's Yugi!" Marik said, smiling. "Hello!"

"G'morning," Bakura grunted, still fiddling with some wires that were sticking out under the shuttle's nose. "You're supposed to be giving us directions, right?"

"Actually, I'll be setting an autopilot course for you two to run." Yugi said, heading for the shuttle door. "It shouldn't take too long before your out on the field."

Marik grimaced, "This sucks. We're totally going to die!"

"Oh, get over yourself." Bakura rolled his eyes, closing the nose of the shuttle and standing up. "We'll be fine."

"That's not exactly reassuring, fluffy!" Marik snapped, still looking anxious.

"Hey, you two _will_ be fine." Yugi piped up, "The war is almost won, I doubt they'll even try to kill you once you get out there."

"Thanks...I guess..." Marik mumbled, exchanging a short glance with Bakura. Yugi couldn't help but think there was something going on between the two of them, but he shook the thought away and climbed into the shuttle.

...

The training gymnasium was made up of mostly pilots, taking their sweet time at the many activities they had to entertain themselves with. Atem personally preferred the treadmill, even if it was a bit old fashioned. He ran endlessly, enjoying the feeling of his bare feet scraping the material beneath him.

On his left, Kaiba was weight lifting, whereas Melvin was doing chin-ups on his right. It was mostly silent, apart from a few grunts of exhaust every once and a while. Finally, Melvin spoke. "So, what're your little navigators like?"

Kaiba's face went red, which he could've blamed on the weight lifting. "I'm stuck with a mutt. He's a nuisance."

"Mine's very timid," Atem huffed, speeding up his pace. "He's warming up to me, though. Sometimes we play cards."

"Ooh! You're in love!" Melvin sang, spinning himself over the chin-up bar and hanging from it like a sloth. "Atemu is in love!"

"Don't call me that!" Atem grumbled, shooting a glare at the Egyptian.

"You should see my little guy!" Melvin cackled, ignoring him. "He's this cute little albino, always looks calm and dignified. But I pull one wrong move, and- WHAM!" Melvin was now only hanging from his legs, "The little guy can scold like no tomorrow!"

"You mean he talks down to you?" Kaiba asked, heaving a ridiculously large weight over his thin frame. Atem watched him closely, trying to make sure his kind-of-friend wasn't squashed.

"Yup!" Melvin chuckled, "I like him. He's got moxy."

"Keep it in your pants, Ishtar." Kaiba rolled his eyes, putting the weight down; it seemed to relieve Atem more than it did him. "Speaking of which, look at Devlin."

All three pilots gazed across the gym, finding the ebony haired man who was climbing the rope. Duke Devlin, one of the most attractive pilots in the fleet, was rumored to be having a little relationship with his navigator. He certainly looked happier than he had in days, but no one had any proof. Atem sighed, "Well, at least he's pleased."

"Hm," Kaiba snorted, "I don't know what he sees in a navigator like that."

"Probably the same thing you see in yours." Melvin grinned, taking another spin on the bar before resuming his chin-ups.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Kaiba's face was as stoic as ever, but was betrayed by a slightly pink hue.

"No way!" Atem exclaimed, almost sliding off the treadmill. "You like your navigator!"

"What the fuck are you two talking about?" Kaiba seethed, but his face just kept going into darker shades of red. "I do not like that mutt!"

"Denial!" Melvin shrieked, pointing at Kaiba dramatically. Atem was now impressed that the Egyptian could hold all of his body weight with one hand. "Denial! Kaiba is in DENIAL!"

"Oh yeah? And what about you?" Kaiba tossed back, looking ready to kill. "You clearly have it in for that poor limey kid."

"But he's different!" Melvin whined, continuing to pull himself upwards with one hand. "He's not boring, he can fight back!"

"Kinky," Kaiba sneered, scooping up another weight.

"Ladies, ladies!" Atem cut in, chuckling. "Stop arguing about your boyfriends."

"That mutt is NOT my boyfriend," Kaiba hissed, turning his glare to Atem. Oops.

"Oh, and what about Atemu's little crush?" Melvin pried, grinning widely. "We couldn't leave you out of this torment, could we?"

"No, we certainly couldn't." Kaiba smirked, a frightening sight. This man wasn't supposed to show too much emotion, it could seriously damage a person if they saw him smiling.

"Uh, hey..." Atem quickly tried to change the subject, "So, what do you think about the war?"

"Don't you dare chicken out on us!" Melvin barked, hanging upside down. "Tell us about your love life, Atemu dear!"

"Stop calling me that!" Atem growled, "And there is nothing going on between me and my navigator." Even as he said it, Atem began questioning himself.

"Right, and Melvin is straight." Kaiba rolled his eyes, seemingly oblivious to the daggers Melvin's eyes were throwing at him.

"Well, how could I like that shrimp?" Atem started to think of reasons why he wouldn't like Yugi, but he found none. His navigator was perfect. "Um...he looks just like me!"

"His eyes are purple!" Melvin cut in, "Or amethyst...one or the other."

"And he looks slightly younger than you." Kaiba added, "Let's not even delve into the difference between your voices."

"Shut up! Both of you, just silence yourselves!" Atem plugged his ears, focusing on the treadmill instead of his annoying kind-of-friends. "The pharoah demands peace!"

They left him alone, but that only seemed to make it worse. Atem couldn't stop picturing it, now. Yugi's smile, his nervousness, the way he got scared when they flew really fast. How he laughed whenever he won a game of cards, how he looked whever he was embarrassed about something. Atem tried to get rid of those thoughts, but they just kept coming back, taking over his brain. And then, he remembered Yugi's naked, damp body from when he had emerged from the shower.

Abruptly, Atem stopped the treadmill and left the gym. He was well aware of the eyes on his back, but he couldn't care less. All he needed to do was to stop thinking about Yugi like that, to stop suddenly wanting to think about him.

Biting back a scream of frustration, Atem went straight for his quarters. He didn't like Yugi, this was just his friends playing with his head. That had to be it. Out of nowhere, he suddenly imagined himself kissing Yugi- right on those soft, pink lips. This time, Atem really did scream. It startled a few passing racers, but Atem was more focused on getting the image far away from him, and ran to his quarters without so much as looking back.

Of course, Yugi just had to be walking towards the quarters, as well. He also just had to not notice Atem running really fast. And Atem, who was too busy trying to beat his thoughts up, rammed right into the smaller man. In an awkward collison, Atem wound up on top of Yugi, practically straddling him. "Ow!" Yugi grumbled, leaning his head back.

Atem's breath hitched in his throat. Yugi was so close to him, he could feel their leather covered skin pressed against one and other. Almost instatly, the taller man shot up, apologising multiple times as he stumbled toward the wall.

Yugi, who hadn't really reacted to Atem's tumble, sat up and rubbed the back of his head. When he realised who it was who ran into him, he lit up with the cutest smile Aem had ever seen. "Oh! Hello there, pharoah!"

"H-hello, Yugi." Atem stuttered, trying to find his equilibrium and failing. "Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention."

"Neither was I," Yugi giggled, he freaking _giggled_. "I wasn't watching or other people, so we're both to blame."

Without thinking, Atem offered his hand to help Yugi up. When the smaller man grasped it, he couldn't help but show off a little bit, tugging Yugi upwards with ease. Sheesh, this guy was about as heavy as a rabbit. Yugi stumbled at being lifted, his face stopping only inches from Atem's chest. Wow. It was so muscular under all that leather. Suddenly realising where his thoughts were leading, Yugi snapped his head back and straightened himself up.

"Uh, thank you." he mumbled, awkwardly.

"No problem," Atem coughed, slightly pink in the face. God, this guy was cute.

They both stood there for a moment until Yugi went for his door, heat rising to his ears. The way Atem had looked at him was exactly the way he felt- confused and flustered. Yugi went straight for his bed, questioning why he felt this way.

Surely it wasn't Atem.

Or Atem's chest, his broad shoulders, biceps, cocky grin, or anything that made him so fucking attractive. And it certainly wasn't the way Atem joked with him when they played cards, or the way Atem laughed when they flew way too fast. It wasn't because Atem made Yugi feel comfortable, or because Atem seemed to know what made him embarrassed.

Oh crap. What it _was_?

Yugi's mind reeled, the idea of having something so petty, having a crush, it was unthinkable. And yet, here he was. He remembered how their eyes met across the dock, or the way Atem always waved at him when they passed each other in the hallway. His heart began to flutter, an unfamiliar feeling rising in his stomach. He was twenty-four years old, why did he have to make up on lost youth _now_? Yugi groaned and buried his face in his pillow, curling his knees up to his stomach.

In about five minutes, he had uncovered that he might like his pilot in a rather un-innocent way, as well. With those strangely erotic thoughts prying at his mind, Yugi decided he'd go to bed before things got any worse.

...

The following morning was slightly disasterous. Yugi woke up to a familiar alarm, one that meant the human side had scored a point, and ran for the washroom to brush his teeth. Now, he had completely ignored the fact that Atem was in there, standing his boxers and trying to multi-task between brushing his hair and teeth. Yugi just stripped down to his own boxers, ignoring the choking sound coming from the pilot, and hurriedly cleaned the plaque off his gums. It was only after he spat out the last bit of toothpaste that he realised what was going on. Slowly, his cheeks flushed, and he turned to meet Atem's gaze, wich was a mixture of amusement and shock.

"Good morning," the navigator managed to squeak, slightly mortified with his current dilemma. "Any idea what happened?"

"No. That's why I'm getting ready..." Atem replied, blinking at Yugi and smiling.

"Oh," Yugi mumbled, going more red by the second. He tried to look nonchalant, waving his hand and heading back to his room. "Carry on."

The moment the door closed, he heard Atem burst into laughter. It rubbed off on Yugi after a little while, he eventually giggled at his own foolishness and slipped into uniform. By the time he and Atem reached the gate, it was crowded with other officers, pilots, navigators, and pretty much everyone. Yugi could see Joey getting lifted above their shoulders, a bandage on his cheek.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked the nearest navigator, which just so happened to be Ryou.

"Joey and Kaiba found an enemy base and blew it up!" Ryou said, smiling brightly. "That means they'll be retreating sooner than we expected!"

Eyes wide, Yugi looked back at his friend who was being cheared for. Joey didn't seem to be paying attention; as a matter of fact, he looked worried. When he was set down, Yugi ran right for him. "Joey, congratulations!"

"Nyeh?" Joey blinked, "Oh. Right."

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, noticing the spaced out expression his friend was wearing.

"Kaiba," Joey mumbled, quietly. "He got hurt in the attack. He's okay, they said he'll be okay."

Yugi was a little surprised. Joey had only shown signs of irritation towards his pilot, and now he was getting all anxious about a couple injuries? Giggling, Yugi shook is head. "Oh, you so like him."

"What?" Joey asked, not having heard Yugi's comment over the other voices in the room.

"Oh, nothing." Yugi chuckled, rolling his eyes.

For a while, everyone celebrated their victory by talking, even drinking a little wine that a lieutenant had brought up. It was bitter tasting, so Yugi steered clear of it. The rest of the day he spent talking about the idea of going home, soon.

The only problem was: Yugi hadn't been 'home' in eight years.

The idea of leaving these people, his friends, seemed a bit unnerving to him. He decided to head back to his dorm, knowing he was going into sulk mode. He couldn't help it if he loved his job, even if the war was choatic. Not three minutes after leaving the gate, Yugi heard someone call to him. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, hey, Atem." Yugi did his best to smile at the pilot, "I was going back to my room."

"Can I come with you?" Atem stepped closer, looking slightly on edge. "I mean, there's only so much of Melvin I can handle. Plus, I wouldn't want you to get lonely."

Yugi flushed, slightly. "Uh, okay. Sure. Go right ahead!"

Atem ruffled his hair, "You're cute when you're flustered."

They both seemed equally surprised with what he had just said. Atem retracted his hand, coughing. Yugi went beat red. In silence, they continued their walk back to their quarters.

Yugi was just about to enter the room, when Atem's arm decided to block his way. "You seem upset, partner."

"Wha-?" Yugi blinked, the heat returning to his face. "I'm not upset..."

Atem leaned in, squinting at him. "Liar."

Doing his best to return the stare, Yugi let out a huff. "And what if I am a bit upset?"

"Tell me why."

"No."

"_Tell me_."

Surprised at how much persuasion seemed to lace his words, Yugi bit back a gulp. "Well...I've spent, like, a quarter of my life up here."

"Oh," Atem smiled, leaning back up to his regular height. Yugi couldn't help but feel slightly disapointed with this. "You're sad because we'll be leaving."

Yugi nodded, frowning. "I don't want to lose all the friends I've made."

"You won't get rid of me that easily!" Atem grinned, finally letting Yugi open the door. His heart fluttered, the idea of losing his pilot had not yet occured to him. As Atem passed by, Yugi stared at his back. Then, without thinking, he grabbed onto Atem's shoulder blades, clinging onto his uniform with full force. "What the hell? Yugi, what're you doing?'

Yugi didn't answer, he just tightened his grip. No way was he losing this guy.

"Yugi," Atem turned around, unintentionally making Yugi's grip loosen. The shorter man stumbled into the more coordinated of the two's chest, cursing. "What's the matter?" Atem asked, taking Yugi's cheek in his hand.

"I..." Yugi wasn't sure what had come over him, but now he felt like crying. Atem was so close to him, his eyes looking at Yugi with a kind of softness he'd never seen. Deciding to go for it, Yugi closed the gap between them and locked their lips.

All at once, he expected Atem to reject him, to laugh right in his face about how puny he was. Instead, Atem's arm snaked around his waist, pulling him closer. Yugi wasn't sure how he knew what to do, but his arms made their way around Atem's neck, almost like he was expecting to be carried. The lips beneath his started moving back, softly and calmly. For a reckless aviator, Atem was one hell of a kisser. Yugi hoped he was meeting Atem's expectations, trying to match pace with his own lips.

After wht seemed like a decade, they parted.

"...Um."

"...So."

Atem decided to go first, "I like you. A lot."

"Yeah, me too. I mean- I like you." Yugi nodded, feeling slightly bashful.

Atem was quiet for a moment longer, as if contemplating what he should say. "Okay, so, I guess we're together now. I'm not really sure how this relationship stuff works."

"Me neither," Yugi giggled, smiling wholeheartedly. "Let's figure it out; together as partners."

Atem smiled back at him, "I think I can work with that."

"Can we, uh, can we kiss again?" Yugi asked, shyly looking at his feet.

Atem leaned in, somehow making that kiss better than the first. After they finished, Yugi couldn't help but laugh. "Just because were dating, I won't go easy on you in cards!"

"Oh, come on!" Atem whined, "Best two out of three?"

"You're so on."

And so they played cards, laughing as they kissed and lost their games. It didn't matter, they had both won in the end.


End file.
